In general, concrete construction often requires a formwork to maintain the specified shape and dimensions of the concrete structure, such as a concrete wall, during the pouring of the concrete. In order to maintain the required shape and specifications, the formwork must be properly reinforced because the weight of the wet, flowable concrete can alter the shape of the walls of the formwork without such proper reinforcing. In certain applications, adequately reinforcing the formwork with external bracing can be expensive due to the cost of the additional materials and labor. Additionally, often there is inadequate space around the forms to provide proper reinforcing and structural support to hold the concrete forms.
To prevent the forms from moving outward away from the concrete, ties are generally used to resist the outward forces of the concrete by pulling the forms inwardly. These ties are generally permanently embedded within the concrete and cannot be removed once the concrete has been set. These types of ties often pose problems when the completed concrete walls are indented to be sealed to prevent water from seeping in or out of the completed concrete wall.
Further, to prevent the concrete formwork from bowing inwardly, the forms must either be externally reinforced or have a spreader installed within the formwork to push outwardly on the formwork. One (1) disadvantage of the current method for spreading the form is that the spreading devices sometimes interfere with the fabrication of the reinforcing structure of the concrete wall. Additionally, spreaders can often pose problems with sealing the concrete wall from leaking water from or into the concrete walls.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a concrete formwork spreader that addressed the disadvantages described above.